Ice Cream In The Winter
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: "You're not cold?" Neo shrugged and swallowed another mouthful. 'You learn to dismiss the temperature and just focus on the flavor.'


**Commission for overseerorm, who asked for Baked Alaska Christmas date! I've only written these two together a few times, but this was a good chance to give them some much-needed attention.**

 **A/N: As of right now, we know Neo isn't mute, but we've yet to hear her canon voice/speech pattern, so as per the commissioner's request, I wrote her mute. And this is just a Normal Life AU!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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Ice Cream In The Winter

Of course Yang loved Christmas morning.

She loved Christmas in general. Especially considering the fact that she got to wake up to the sounds of her little sister's excited squeals, stampede with her down the stairs to the living room, and watch her roll around on the floor in front of the Christmas tree with Zwei as she anticipated opening her presents.

Yang sat with Ruby for about an hour that morning, tearing open presents together with her while their parents sat on the couch and looked on fondly.

There was squealing and laughter and joyful hugs all around all morning long, until eventually their mother decided it was time for breakfast.

Yang ate and spent time with her family until a little after noon, and that was when she excitedly took her leave.

After all, this would be her first Christmas with a date.

She dressed herself in a matter of minutes, pulling on some new clothes she'd only just unwrapped that morning, some new boots, and a brand new, milky yellow trench coat. She left her hair down, claiming it was a scarf of its own, slipped on a pair of gloves, kissed her family goodbye, and then was off into the snowy world outside.

Ruby stood at the door waving behind her.

"Have fun, Yang!"

The older sister spun around on her heel smoothly and winked.

"You know I will!"

It was a miracle she didn't end up slipping on the icy sidewalk as she spun back around, but perhaps even if she had, it wouldn't have ruined her ecstatic mood today.

There was a light flurry falling over the town that was already coated in a thick layer of white. At the very least, the sidewalks had been shoveled and were traversable, so Yang made quick work of getting to her destination.

It wasn't a terribly long walk from her own house, and the temperature of the air today wasn't anything unbearable, so she knew it was truly the perfect day for a holiday date.

She sauntered into the apartment complex area with a skip in her step, then ran the last few yards to the designated door.

There, she paused for breath then rapped her knuckles on the wood.

Almost immediately, a familiar male voice sounded from the other side.

"Alright, alright, we're comin', hold your horses."

Yang straightened up, wearing a delightful grin. Roman opened the door, and it was clear by his disheveled orange hair and the pink bath robe he wore that he'd only just woken up, despite the hour.

Yang greeted him with her trademark grin.

"Merry Christmas!"

The man grunted.

"Yeah, yeah. Merry Christmas. Anywho, you'd better have her back by no later than 7 tonight, ya hear me?"

"Right! You can count on me, sir!"

Roman only snorted before stepping aside.

Yang's eyes lit up when she saw her. Adorned with a bubblegum-pink coat, comfortable brown leggings, and boots to match, her swirl of strawberry-and-chocolate-colored hair streaming out behind her, Neo revealed herself.

With the collapsed pink parasol in her left hand, she was all ready to go. She glided past her guardian, reached up to tug at the sleeve of his robe, and when he complied, she kissed his cheek affectionately. Roman grunted again.

"Make sure she shows ya a good time today, alright?"

Neo grinned up at him and used her free hand to sign a response.

 _'I know she will.'_

With that, Neo slipped around him and stepped outside with the door closing behind her.

Now, she gave her full attention to Yang, who was still admiring her outfit and the gentle curl of her hair. But soon, there was something even more captivating.

Neo's gaze found hers, those alluring mismatched eyes that blinked sweetly up at her.

Yang was smiling so much her face was beginning to ache by now, and she opened her arms wide to invite her in.

"Merry Christmas! I'm your present!"

The smaller girl let out a silent snort before lightly whacking her date on the head with the parasol to chide the bad joke. Yang chuckled, then reached out to pull her in.

Neo snuggled up to her immediately, straining onto her tiptoes to place a light kiss on Yang's cheek. The blonde hummed in response, and her lips satisfied themselves with Neo's soft, silky hair.

She ran kisses all along her hairline, down to her temples, and eventually returned to her forehead. All the while, Neo kissed her cheek and the side of her neck, being it was the only place she could easily reach.

After a moment, Yang locked her arms around the girl's back and lifted her off the ground a bit so they could kiss on the lips. Neo giggled silently, her shoulders shaking gently with delight as she was set back down. Again, she used her free hand to sign.

 _'Merry Christmas, Yang.'_

"Oh, that was only the beginning!" Yang proclaimed. "Since we only started dating not too long ago, I know I couldn't really get you much in terms of presents and stuff, so this date'll be our shared gift!"

 _'That's what we agreed on, yes.'_

"Great! Just makin' sure you didn't get me anything else, cuz that wouldn't be fair to you. Oh, here, lemme take that." She reached out her palm for the parasol.

Neo had a bit of a skin condition where intense sunlight irritated her pallor, hence why she carried the parasol with her almost every time she left the house. It might've been snowing today, but the sun was still out, and the reflection of the light off the snow made it seem even brighter.

Neo passed the parasol to Yang, who opened it and positioned it over her girlfriend.

"There. Muuuch better~" She dipped down and kissed the top of Neo's head.

With Yang holding the handle, she could both protect Neo from the harmful sun rays, and it also allowed the girl to use both hands to communicate.

Neo thanked her by tugged Yang down for another kiss.

Then, she wrapped her arms around Yang's free one, huddling close and clinging to her as they began their walk.

Yang led her around town for a while, where they could marvel at all the various decorations that looked even merrier now with a dusting of snow covering them.

Evergreen trees stood tall with little white halos sprinkled on their branches, and some had been wrapped in garlands and adorned colorful little ornaments. Lawn decorations of light-up reindeer and candy-canes lined their path, seeming to guide them on their way. A few yards were littered with shrieking children having snowball fights and building animals out of snow.

Neo clung to Yang's arm all the while as the latter shielded the former with the lacy pink parasol, though Yang rather enjoyed the feeling of the winter sunlight on her skin, mixed with the slight chill of the snowflakes.

They followed the cement sidewalk to the edge of town, and now, rather than houses, a forest of leafless trees looked back at them.

Neo peered up at her girlfriend curiously and released her arm.

 _'Are we going in?'_

Yang nodded.

"Yeah, if that's okay. There's something I wanted to show you."

Hearing that, Neo smiled and started forward with her.

Their boots crunched softly in the snow as they left the town of squealing children behind, exchanging it for a tranquil, quiet forest.

The woods gave off an entirely different atmosphere.

The trees were coated in thin layers of ice, causing the sunlight to refract off them and make them shine. Sometimes, at just the perfect angle, tiny rainbows were visible. Neo especially loved those.

There were only a few sounds as they treaded along the path. Those were the occasional chirp of a lone bird, the sound of a chunk of snow slipping off a branch, and then their own shoes over the snow, and the faintness of their breaths.

When the snow started getting a bit high, Yang apologized as she handed Neo the parasol and broke their side-by-side gait. Yang went first now, making footprints in the deeper snow so that Neo could follow behind more easily. Yang turned back every few steps to take her hand and guide her forward.

At last, the trees began to part, and the ground sloped slightly downward to reveal the flat expanse of a frozen lake.

The sunlight mixed with dazzling snowflakes over the ice, making every inch of it shimmer and dance despite its stillness. The trees on the far side of the opposite bank peered back at them, outlined in silver.

The lake reflected the faint blue of the sky, and combined with the white of the surrounding snow, it almost seemed as though they were looking at a pile of clouds.

Neo was mesmerized by the sight, just as Yang hoped she'd be.

Yang gently plucked the parasol from the girl's grip and held it for her once again, letting her take in the breathtaking scenery.

She herself marveled at it for a few minutes as well, until a slight motion at her side caught her attention.

 _'It's beautiful...'_

Yang grinned.

"I'd just wanted to show you something that was almost on your level."

That earned her another kiss.

They walked slowly around the lake, watching the white puffs of their breath rise up into the sky to join with the cottony clouds above. Yang placed her free arm draped around Neo's smaller shoulders, keeping the girl close to her side to keep her warm.

They walked for a while, until the sky turned slightly darker.

At that point, Neo gave a tiny, raspy sneeze, and Yang felt her jolt. She looked down to find her girlfriend's eyes were slightly glazed over, despite the happy smile on her lips.

"Tired?" Yang guessed.

 _'A little. But I really love the scenery.'_

"Yeah, but I know this kinda weather drains your energy. I should've considered that a bit more before taking you all the way out here..."

 _'I don't mind.' It's nice to be alone with you.'_

Neo gave a small hop and kissed her cheek.

Yang then looked back over her shoulder. They'd come a long way, and the walk back to town would probably be another twenty minutes or so.

Neo looked like she wouldn't make it five more feet without falling asleep on her feet.

So Yang came up with a solution.

"Here. Hold this, 'kay?" She handed Neo the parasol again. Her girlfriend tilted her head, her pink and brown eyes clearly puzzled. Yang held up a finger as she crouched down a little.

"Ready? Up ya go!"

With that, she scooped Neo up into her arms with ease, sweeping her off her feet bridal style and pulling her close.

It would've been a lot more graceful had the parasol not shifted in Neo's hand and ended up smacking Yang on the head.

Neo giggled with her lips, but apologized with her unoccupied hand.

"Nah..." Yang shrugged, whipping her ruffled blonde hair back. "I deserved that for pickin' you up so suddenly."

 _'It was nice, though.'_

Neo rather liked being in her arms like this.

And Yang certainly didn't mind holding her.

Neo was more or less weightless to Yang's trained arms, and she'd had years of practice in picking up Ruby, as well.

Still, she couldn't resist dipping down to press another kiss to the tired girl's forehead. Neo nuzzled her nose briefly against Yang's cheek before they pulled away.

After that, Yang began to head back the way they'd come, with Neo holding the pink parasol over both their heads. She rested her elbow on top of Yang's shoulder to keep the parasol steady and so it would shield them both.

But it wasn't long before Neo started to feel the effects of the situation. The calming white scenery all around her had already made her drowsy, as had the conflicting temperatures of the snow and the sunlight. All of those now added together with the swaying motion of Yang's steps...

Yang could feel the change in her girlfriend when Neo grew still in her arms, the parasol slumping limply against the side of Yang's head. She chuckled softly as she gazed down at the petite girl.

There were a few locks of brown hair mixed with a few locks of pink over one of her shoulders, and her rosy coat ruffled ever so slightly as she breathed. Her eyes had fallen shut already, and her breath was visible in thin puffs of white.

Yang made sure her grip on the girl was firm. She paused for a moment to adjust and bend down for another kiss.

From there, she kept a slow pace as she exited the forest, trying not to wake Neo. The girl's condition wasn't anything serious, but as Yang had said, it _did_ make Neo's energy drain rather quickly.

But Yang was just glad she'd gotten to show her the lake, and was even gladder still to carry her back. They had several more hours until seven, and she planned to have Neo stay for dinner at her house.

They soon emerged from the woods, and Yang took the path back toward the neighborhood.

As she followed the sidewalk, the silence in the air was broken not only by the laughter of children, but something else, too. It sounded almost like a music box, and for a moment, Yang was highly confused until she saw the colorful truck driving up the street.

"Yeesh," she mumbled. "Who'd want ice cream when it's already so freakin' cold out?"

She should've known better than to ask.

Not only did a hoard of children go running up to the truck once it had stopped, but there was a stir in her arms as Neo roused herself, as though on instinct. She blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the bright daylight, then peeked up at Yang past her colorful hair.

 _'Sorry,'_ she signed, righting the parasol. _'I didn't mean to fall asleep.'_

"It's fine. My pleasure to carry my princess back. But I think you woke up for a good reason."

Yang nodded towards the truck, and Neo followed her gaze. Her eyes lit up immediately, and a small breath escaped her lips.

Yang chuckled.

"You want some?"

A tiny, _tiny_ nod.

"Alright, you got it!"

But first, Yang let Neo down onto the ground once more. She kept a hand on the girl's back to make sure she was steady, but she clearly didn't need to worry about that. Neo was grasping her arm and tugging her along within seconds.

They waited on line by the truck, and Neo signed her order for Yang to place. The man behind the counter soon handed her a triple-scooped cone consisting of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. Neo signed her thanks as she accepted it, then peered up at Yang.

 _'Are you going to get anything?'_

"Ice cream? In the winter? Nah, I think I'm cold enough."

 _'You're missing out. It tastes best in the winter because your throat's already so dry from the air. You won't regret it~'_

Neo gave a smug kind of smirk to encourage her.

Yang heaved a sigh.

"Fine. Ya got me."

She ordered a black raspberry cone for herself, then paid for them both.

The couple retreated to find an empty bench beside the sidewalk, and sat down. At Neo's reassurance, Yang put the parasol aside for the moment so they could both enjoy themselves.

Neo was already lapping at her ice cream with hearty intent, and Yang had to stare at her for a moment, dumbfounded.

"You're not _cold?_ "

Neo shrugged and swallowed another mouthful.

 _'You learn to dismiss the temperature and just focus on the flavor.'_

Still, the blonde was dubious, but she dared to try her own ice cream nonetheless.

Immediately, a shiver ran through her, and she was forced to ram her tongue against the roof of her mouth as the brain freeze shot through her skull.

"Awgh- _god_ -"

Neo giggled and leaned against her side, wearing a triumphant smirk.

 _'Amateur.'_

Yang grimaced.

"Challenge accepted."

With those words, she took a mouthful of ice cream and swallowed it in one go. Not a second later, she shrieked and whimpered, leaving Neo doubled over in silent laughter.

But she recovered before long and decided to assist her hopeless girlfriend with a kiss.

The three flavors of Neo's ice cream mixed with the black raspberry of Yang's as she pushed their lips together firmly, sharing a bit of warmth and providing a distraction for her cringing girlfriend.

Yang was beyond thankful for it, sighing into the kiss as the stinging behind her nose gradually died away. Neo pulled back a moment later and licked her lips.

 _'Now there's something that tastes even better than ice cream.'_

Yang sighed, but returned the grin.

"I'll agree with you there."

This time, she ate more slowly, just enough so that she'd avoid more brain-freeze, but still quickly enough to keep pace with Neo.

Of course, being the expert in ice cream, Neo ate at just the perfect pace to avoid discomfort, so Yang was wise to follow her lead.

And she had to admit the ice cream really _did_ taste good. It was somehow just as satisfying as it might've been during the summertime. It soothed her dry throat and woke up her senses as well as her taste buds.

Neo was glad to see her girlfriend was enjoying the treat. She leaned in closer and all but snuggled into Yang's side as they savored the moment.

Little snowflakes fell onto their ice cream, and they ended up eating those, too.

After a few minutes, they finished their ice cream and started munching the cones until there was nothing left but crumbs on their gloves.

 _'Well?'_ Neo wondered. _'How was it?'_

"Not bad, I gotta admit. In fact, it was pretty darn good."

 _'Told you so~'_

"Yeah, yeah..."

Neo chuckled and pecked Yang's cheek. The blonde girl trapped her in a hug and pulled Neo into her lap to kiss her lips. The smaller of the two looped her arms around the taller girl's neck and guided her down to deepen the contact.

A moment of that left them both breathing heavily, but being that they were in public, they decided to stop here.

Neo hopped off her lap as Yang got to her feet and picked up the parasol, spreading it over them both. The smaller girl latched onto the other's arm again as they started off towards Yang's home.

They made it almost all the way without incident, but once they passed the neighbor's yard, Yang noticed the kids having a snowball fight. She gasped when she noticed a stray one headed their way and quickly maneuvered the parasol to block Neo's exposed side.

The snowball shattered to bits as the kids called out an apology. Yang waved at them to show it was alright before she dipped down to Neo.

"You okay?"

The girl was merely brushing off a bit of snow from her sleeve.

 _'With you protecting me from vicious snowballs, how can I not be?'_

Yang blushed when Neo kissed her again.

At last, they made it to Yang's house, and the couple started up the sidewalk that led to the door.

Neo was a pace ahead, so she quickly noticed a particularly icy patch. She hopped over it and turned around to sign a warning to Yang, but it was already too late.

"Wh- _Whoa_ -!"

Yang felt an uncomfortable prickle shoot up her spine as her weight shifted over the slick ice. She dropped the parasol, arms flailing for balance as she began to fall backward.

Neo reached out and grabbed her hand in an effort to pull her up, but Yang's weight took them both over.

With an "oof!" Yang landed on her back in the snow, and Neo fell on top of her. The smaller girl quickly pushed herself up and looked worriedly down at her girlfriend.

But rather than hurt, Yang was just _cold_.

"Hoo _geez_ , that's chilly!"

She sat up instantly and hugged herself, shaking her head to dislodge the chunks of snow clinging to her hair.

Neo bounced in her lap as she moved, relived to see that Yang wasn't injured from the fall. She reached up with her dainty gloved fingers and curled them through Yang's hair, fixing a few stiff, stray locks for her. She wrapped her arms around Yang and kissed her red nose, sharing a bit of warmth.

The blonde sighed and took a moment to nuzzle her face into Neo's collar for warmth. She felt her girlfriend happily pull her in to her chest, running kisses through her hair. Yang squeezed the small of her back, turning her face to the side to rest her coldest cheek against Neo's neck.

Despite the girl's love of ice cream in the winter, Neo was a surprisingly warm person.

Yang could just barely detect the faint beat of her pulse, and it relaxed her a bit, made her feel even warmer after the fall.

Of course, she was still sitting in a pile of snow, and before long, she needed to get up. Neo held onto her wrists and helped her to her feet.

 _'Are you alright?'_

"Yeah, f-fine. Just freakin' cold. Let's head back in, yeah?"

With a nod, Neo picked up her parasol and followed Yang to the front steps.

Ruby greeted them at the door, still wearing her cozy pajamas with a red Christmas hat on her head and a candy-cane in her mouth. She welcomed them inside, and Yang was more than relieved to finally be someplace warm again.

She and Neo removed their coats and gloves, then Yang's girlfriend politely greeted her parents and sister.

As Yang defrosted a bit by the fireplace, Neo played with Ruby and Zwei, who was running around the room with a decorative ribbon on his head.

Their mother came in a while later to hand them all mugs of hot chocolate, which they gratefully accepted.

They enjoyed themselves for a time, Ruby ultimately taking Neo's side in the debate of whether or not ice cream tasted better in the wintertime.

About an hour before suppertime, Yang found herself yawning and decided to head up to her room for a nap.

Naturally, Neo followed.

Yang kept the lights off as she led her girlfriend into her room and collapsed on the bed face-down, making a sound somewhere between a groan and a hum.

"I'm beeeeat... But it was fun~"

Neo sat down beside her and rolled Yang over so she could sign to her.

 _'Don't forget I've got to be home by seven.'_

"Right. That's why I'm gonna nap now so I can walk you back later." Yang opened her arms invitingly. "C'mere and keep me warm pretty please?"

As if Neo could resist.

She crawled into Yang's lap, straddling her thighs for the moment as she leaned over the girl. Her swirl of hair fell over her shoulders as she moved down, the pink section falling over one shoulder and the brown falling over the other.

Yang slid her arms up around the girl's back as Neo paused just an inch away from her lips, her gaze asking permission. Yang closed her eyes willingly.

Neo took her cue and covered the space between them, pushing her lips firmly against Yang's.

It was a bit harder and heavier than their previous kisses, and Yang's grip on the small of her back tightened.

Neo ran her hands all along the blonde's sides, threading fingers through her hair and lightly digging her nails into her shoulders. Yang chuckled into the kiss.

"Cheater. No tickling..."

Neo quieted her with a small nip.

Despite her smaller stature, her lungs were more skilled than even Yang's, and she held the kiss for a long minute.

When she finally did pull back and allow Yang to breathe, she left her gasping softly.

Yang looked up at her with half-lidded eyes, lavender meeting heterochromatic pink and brown.

"God... I _love_ it when you do that..."

Neo smirked and kissed her again, more softly this time. She knew Yang was tired after the day of walking around, and she needed to rest now before evening came.

Neo worked her magic, gradually lessening the pressure of her kisses, alternating between making them longer and harder, to shorter and lighter.

Yang followed suit, and her breathing slowed and deepened in the process. Neo coaxed her into sleep gently, until Yang was just barely conscious.

Only then did the smaller girl relent with one final, innocent peck to the lips. She laid herself down on top of Yang, resting her head on her collar. Her heartbeat was already slow and steady now, though a small mumble told her Yang was still awake.

"Mmn... y'know... I love ice cream all year round... but it really _is_ best in the winter."

With her eyes still closed and a smirk on her lips, she managed to aim another kiss at Neo's mouth before her head fell back onto the pillow.

Neo smiled as she settled against her, playing with the long golden hair, caressing her cheek. She felt the girl's warm hands running lazy circles all up and down her own back, and Neo allowed herself to relax as well.

With one final kiss, she gave Yang her unspoken, un-signed message.

 _'Merry Christmas.'_

And Yang was sure to fall asleep wearing a smile, warm and cozy as she thought about her favorite ice cream.

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 **A/N: First of all, I can totally get behind this ship if only they really cared for each other in a healthy way. Second of all, Roman Torchwick would _definitely_ be the type of man to wear a pink bath robe and no one can convince me otherwise. Third of all, ice cream in the wintertime is awesome and if you don't eat it, you're missing out.**

 **Thanks for reading and happy holidays!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


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